Definition

1. Verb:
   • To touch: To make physical contact with something, often lightly or briefly.
   • To encounter / To run into: To meet or come across someone or something, often suddenly or unexpectedly.
   • To hurt / To offend: To affect or damage something sensitive, such as a person's feelings, honor, pride, or interests.
   • To carve / To engrave: To create artistic designs or patterns on a hard surface by cutting or etching into it.

Usage Examples

• To touch:
  • Đừng chạm vào lò nướng, nó rất nóng. (Don't touch the oven; it's very hot.)
  • Quả bóng chạm vạch. (The ball touched the line.)
• To encounter:
  • Đơn vị chúng tôi chạm địch sáng nay. (Our unit encountered the enemy this morning.)
• To hurt/offend:
  • Câu nói đó chạm đến lòng tự trọng của anh ấy. (That statement hurt his self-esteem.)
• To carve:
  • Người nghệ nhân chạm những hoa văn tinh xảo lên gỗ. (The artisan carved intricate patterns onto the wood.)

Advanced Usage

• "chạm trán": To have a confrontation or a face-to-face encounter, often hostile.
  • Hai phe đối lập chạm trán nhau tại tòa án. (The two opposing factions confronted each other at the court.)
• "chạm nổi": To create a bas-relief (a carving where the design stands out from the background).
  • Cánh cửa đền được chạm nổi hình rồng. (The temple door is carved with a dragon in bas-relief.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chạm khắc (v): To engrave or carve, often used interchangeably with "chạm" for carving.
• Đụng chạm (v): To have a physical collision or, more commonly, to cause offense or friction in social contexts.
  • Vấn đề này dễ gây đụng chạm. (This issue is likely to cause offense.)
• Tiếp chạm (v): To make contact, often used in sports (like football/soccer) or technical contexts.

Synonyms

• Touch: To make physical contact.
• Encounter: To meet unexpectedly.
• Offend: To cause hurt feelings.
• Carve: To cut a design into a material.

Related Idioms

• Chạm mặt: To meet someone face-to-face.
  • Lâu lắm rồi chúng tôi mới chạm mặt. (It's been a long time since we met face-to-face.)
• Chạm ngưỡng: To reach a threshold or limit.
  • Lạm phát đã chạm ngưỡng báo động. (Inflation has reached an alarming threshold.)

verb

1. To touch
   • tay cầu thủ chạm vào quả bóng
     the player's hand touched the ball
   • chân chạm đất
     his feet touched ground
2. To encounter
   • chạm địch
     to encounter the enemy
   • chạm một người lạ mặt trong rừng
     to encounter a stranger in the wood
3. To hurt
   • chạm đến danh dự
     to hurt someone's honour
   • chạm quyền lợi ai
     to hurt someone's interests
4. To carve